I'm in tears at this point please HELP!

[Sinister Little Duckie]

I have an other problem this has now gone from bad to horrible there are patches of fur missing and I thought that it was hot spots, then dry skin but I don't know what to think now... I'm scared to say that it almost looks like mange but where would my indoor dog get mange?

Now please don't think I'm abusing my dog this just happened to get this bad I've been trying everything but here are the pix of his back and tail.... I'm in tears I don't know what to do anymore. HELP ME PLEASE!!!!!!

 

[moose]

The pics are hard to see...how long has it been. Demodex?

 

[Sabrina]

Mange is not necessarily as bad as you think, and yes indoor dogs can have it...there is a cream or an injection that can clear it up fast...don't cry!!!!

---------- Post added at 04:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:10 PM ----------

and demodex is a type of mange that is not contagious to humans....so if it is demodex....you don't need to panic

 

[Sabrina]

and demodex is a type of mange that is not contagious to humans....so if it is demodex....you don't need to panic

 

[moose]

yeah i am dealing with demodex right now...its more annoying that anything else

 

[Renee]

Calm down, let the vet look at it. Mange isn't that big a deal and any dog, no matter how well cared for, can get it.

 

[Bentley]

I second what people are saying, any dog can pickup mange, but your vet should be able to offer effective solutions.

 

[Sinister Little Duckie]

Update: we went to the Vet yesterday and as of right now she thinks that it is a severe allergic reaction to fleas and gave him a depo? shot as well as Comfortis and I have been instructed to give him some Benedryl daily... I have also changed his food with the thought that this may not only be a flea allergy he is now on a hypoallergenic food which is also a hollistic dog food... he seems to be doing well but only time will tell on the back i am hoping that this was the answer that I have been looking for and that it doesn't end up being Demodex.

 

[Liane O'Brien]

Hi, I was just reading up and I was thinking maybe it is the food you're feeding him, some dogs are allergic to corn or other ingredients and can develop skin problems because of it..or rash type things...soory, i hope he gets better soon i couldnt imagine how you feel

 

[Arcadius Di Troy]

Wow this is my very similar and very scary moment as well. I noticed Arcadius had some open sores around his neck, back, shoulders and around his body, then later on I noticed chuncks of his coat missing from all parts of his body, I would brush him for at least 30 minutes and his hair kept filling up the comb. I finally took him to get a skin scrapping from the vet, they ruled our mange, because I thought that could be it too, and now I’m waiting on his fungal scrapping test, if that’s ruled out it’s possible he has allergies from his food, and maybe he is allergic to lamb, however his coat seems to be growing back. The vet gave me Omegas to help w/ his dry coat, and they gave me some medicated shampoo to wash him twice a week, and they also gave him a steriod shot to help w/ his itching. I’m almost positive it’s allergy related. However I could be wrong. Only time will tell and I’ll have to wait to hear back from his dermotologist. I felt the exact same way you felt. I was worried and I cried!!!! His coat is looking better, hair is growing back in the bald spots. Don’t worry so much, take it one day at a time. Not only does my guy have issues w/ his skin or allergies, he also developed cherry eye and will go into surgery soon!!! Good luck and it’s probably his food!!!! =) We are probably NOT the only ones who are in this situation!!!! Let me know how s/he does!!!! I’d like to hear updates!!!

 

[Fixer]

My 6 yr old TM had a skin reaction when I first adopted her 2 years ago. Hot spots, losing some hair, really irritated skin. After one "modern" vet who treated it with steroids and weekly anti-bacterial baths for 2-3 months with no improvement (and great expense!), I went to an old school vet who scolded me for listening to that quack. Bigger dose of anti-biotics for a longer run was needed for a giant breed, then a solution for her skin & coat to return the natural flora & fauna of good bacterias and oils. I had switched to a new raw food blend (from Nature's Variety to Primal) just in case. Between it all, she was just fine, we assume it was due to combination of different pollens and the stress of moving to a new home. She's got a gorgeous silky coat now, so it can all work out in the end, just follow the advise of a vet, trust your research & gut about the vet's experience with giant breeds, and try isolation diets of the food just in case.

 

[Ripsmom]

demodex is easy to rule out, the vet should be able to do a skin scraping and determine if it is demodex or not... shouldn't be a waiting game. If it is flea allergies then you may want to start putting frontline on him (after his skin is healed up a bit) every month ... that should prevent a problem BUT you need to make sure you do it every 4 weeks and no longer otherwise you run the risk of him getting fleas again and you can talk with your vet but in cases with such a severe reaction to fleas ... if applying it every month is not adequate you can actually apply it every 3 weeks

 

[Gideon]

Had this problem with a EM about 10 years ago. It was an allergy to soy. A friend had a similar problem with a German Shepard and it ended up being food allergies as well. The solution to our problems was a food change, I switched to chicken, rice and veggies homemade food and the German Shep was switched to a no grain diet after weeks of trial and error. My vet had me put original generic listerine in a spray bottle and spray the unbroken affected skin (not sores just itchy missing hair) twice a day with the listerine. Listerine is full of essential oils the eucalyptol and thymol help with itching and healing. Once again this info is 10 years old I would def look into the feed though.